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Top Obsessive Tips

1) When you check on your children at night, make sure their back is straight while they sleep. If they are twisted and all kinked up, flip them on their backs and straighten their legs out. I have no idea if that can help with scoliosis, but my personal curve is in the exact shape I like to sleep in (face down, right knee up at right angle, left arm straight, right hand on left arm's elbow).

2) When in doubt, change the diet first. We joke about "sugar rush" or "caffeine rush" but to a small human, those chemical reactions can have a powerful effect. Certain behavior issues and attention issue can be solved with better nutrition or at least give the kid a fighting chance.

3) When in doubt, add more sleep. Sleep deprivation (for them and for us parents) looks an awful lot like many health problems. Try starting the bedtime routine around 6:00 pm (T.V. off, showers, stories, books by the door and clothes picked out for the next day, teeth brushed & flossed). By 8:00 / 8:30 they'll be ready to hit the sack.

4) In the back of your car always carry: emergency car kit (jumper cables, flares, etc.), sun block, bug spray, sidewalk chalk, kites, a ball, coloring books & crayons, a spare change of clothes matching the weather, and extra baseball caps. Look for a portable potty too (either their training potty or a camping one. It will come in handy more times than you'll realize.

5) When you kiss their sleeping cheeks at night whisper, "I love you. You are a very good kid." That subconscious message will sink into their soul.

Happy Obsessive Parenting!

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